Tuesday, September 30, 2014

SpellingCity w/out a doubt is my favorite site for Spelling and Vocabulary. This is a great site w/ educational portal that allows educators to create word lists that can be incorporated into educational games. These games are not only fun but highly engaging and help students learn their "words". Also, an educator can track students, find an abundance of resources/videos, and even use it for mobile learning w/ a free mobile app (iOS/Android).

Writinghouse is a nifty little site that is a free citation/bibliography generator. All a user has to do is select the type of citation they want (i.e. book, magazine, etc.), type in the name of a book, and then click add to add it to their bibliography. They can save or download/share the
ir bibliographies.

Super Teacher Worksheets is one of the best sites around for finding educational resources such as worksheets, printables, puzzles, and more. This is a great place where educators can browse by subject and even find generators to create their very own worksheets, puzzles, crosswords, etc. Also, many of STW resources are aligned to Common Core Standards.

Imagistory is a wonderful free iPad app that I just found out about from iPad Apps 4 Schools. This is a great "wordless" picture book where students can record their own narration of the story that they select. As they open the book, the story begins to record through the iPad's microphone. Once a story is finished it can then be saved and played back or record a new version of your story. This is a great app for the younger kids to introduce them to digital storytelling and get their creative juices flowing.

Book Writer is a fantastic iOS app for digital storytelling that lets users create interactive digital books, PDFs, and more. Educators are using this to Flip their classroom, create tutorials, photo books, presentations, and Project Based Learning. It's a simple app to use that has a drag-n-drop interface and lets users upload images, videos, audio, text, etc.

Math Heroes 1 is a excellent iOS app for students learning basic Math skills such as: addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction. As w/ all Yogome games this app is beautiful designed filled w/ their stunning animated characters. Math Heroes is a fighting-style game where users learn skills by solving basic equations. As they progress further through the game not only do they unlock secret items and more levels (5 different mini-games), they learn new "fighting" moves. This makes for a fun and engaging game w/ high replay value for kids. Best of all the game remembers where a student leaves off and parents can monitor their kids through email updates.

Slader is an ambitious site that is like an online study hall for HS students. This site provides a platform for students to "self pace" their learning. Through collaborating w/ their peers students can ask Q/A and find homework help from over 600 text books in the subjects of Math, Science, History, and English.

From their site, "If a student is having difficulty with a particular type of problem, they can find practice problems and solutions on Slader. Slader enables students to get “unstuck” on troublesome problems, tempering frustration. Those students can then contribute solutions to areas that they are better in, inspiring confidence."I highly recommend checking out Slader by clicking here!!!For my Pinterest board on Educational Resources click here.For more info check out Edshelf.

Monday, September 29, 2014

30hands Pro is the new paid iOS app from 30hands Learning. This is a great purchase as it unlocks all the features in the free 30hands app such as: importing video clips, Dropbox/Google Drive integration, and Hi-Res video exporting.

30hands is the amazingly simple to use app w/ drag-n-drop interface that allows users to sync up 30hand online educational community.
photos w/ audio recordings to create stunning presentations. This can be used for digital storytelling, Project Based Learning, or even to "Flip" a lesson. Also, the exporting features allows the video to be saved to the mobile device's camera roll or uploaded to the free

Algebra Touch is an excellent iOS app for those wanting practice w/ their Algebra skills. This simple to use app uses the iOS device touch capabilities to drag variables around in an equation, tapping to simplify, and drawing lines to eliminate identical terms. Also, a user can create their own problems to help them w/ self guided learning and differentiate their own instruction.

GoClass is a fantastic educational tool (site/app) that allows educators to share their lessons in mobile environment. Teachers can use the GoClass web interface (site) to manage and create interactive lessons for students and then share them to their mobile devices. Also, they can create courses, track students, assess, and more. GoClass uses the formula of Show, Explain, and Ask to teach and reinforce learning. This is a fantastic way for not only Mobile Learning but for "flipping a classroom" and Differentiated Instruction as well.

What more can be said about Buncee that already hasn't been? Is it easy to use? Yes. Does it have an educational portal so educators can create/manage student accounts? Yes. Does it have lots of teacher examples w/ lessons? Yes, yes, yes!!! Buncee my favorite Web 2.0 tool of 2013 is not only a fantastic tool to use in education (w/ their educational portal), it is a great tool for educators to use to Flip a lesson or classroom. Teachers can create beautiful looking animated and narrated presentations that students can then view at home. Then they can complete their Buncee assignment online and educators can view/grade all w/in the safe web portal.

Spell Up is a new game for Google's Chrome browser that I just found out about from Ozge Karagolu's wonderful blog. This is a great voice activated game that uses the device's microphone as people try to spell out words. Every time a word gets spelled correctly it gets stacked on top of each other (think UpWords). As you get more words correct the game gets harder and harder and more features such as bonuses gets unlocked. If a word gets misspelled the tower comes crashing down. Also, this is a nice game for ESL students as a person can hear the word, the pronunciation, and definitions in different languages as they try to spell the word.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

iPractice Math is a excellent all-in-one solution for Math. This is an excellent resource for students/teachers wanting help in all areas of Math (i.e. Geometry, Decimals, Fractions, and more. Also, this is a great place for real-time online help w/ practice problems and worksheets. Finally, through a free educational portal parents and educators are able to track student's usage and see how well they are doing on any given subject or problem (displaying right/wrong answers). This is a great way to assess student progress and differentiate instruction.

EDpuzzle the premiere site for flipping a lesson through video has just released a free iOS app. As w/ the site this app allows users to take a video and easily "make it their own" by editing, cropping, adding narration and questions to flip a lesson or classroom. Students can then view the video on their mobile device, answer the questions, and gauge their learning. This is also a great way for educators to assess student's learning and differentiate instruction.

I highly recommend checking out the free EDpuzzle iOS app by clicking here!!!

For my Pinterest board on a Flipped Classroom click here.
For more info check out Edshelf.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Post-it Plus is a neat little free iOS app that's been getting quite a bit of press online (iPad Apps for Schools) lately. This cool app lets a user snap a pic of their paper post-it notes and then turn them digital. Once they are uploaded to the iOS device they can be organized/tagged and shared w/ others. Just another great way to make the move towards making your classroom paperless!!!

Answerables is a wonderful new innovative site/game that is perfect for Game Based Learning (or more accurate Game Based Learning meets Learning Management System). It reminds me of Second Life but geared more toward kids w/ their fantasy/SciFi environment. The game takes place in the 3D virtual world of Answerables on a planet called Proxima, where the native Ansibles (students) encounter an alien race.

What makes this so great for education that is the safe/COPPA compliant environment that Answerables provides. This is an ideal place for students to collaborate w/ others and develop their social learning skills. Answerables provides windows (i.e. Second Life) to view the web, go on quests, etc. The student dashboard allows students to track their quests, notifications, events, PODS (Personal Online Development Spaces), and more.

Educators can create a lesson/POD (manage permissions), create webquests, internet scave
nger hunts, host live events, and best of all "Gamify" their lesson. This is great for introducing a new concept, guided/differentiated instruction, and even "Flipping" a classroom. Also, teachers (parents too) can track/monitor student progress, share and view resources by collaborating w/ other educators, and even setup tutoring courses where they set their own rate.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Brainscape is an excellent free iOS app for studying any topic based on mobile flashcards. This "smart" flashcards get rated by the user and based on those ratings will differentiate instruction to help the student learn. Best of all, a user can either browse through and purchase decks of flashcards or create their own and even share their cards w/ others. This is great for collaborating, study groups, and for educators looking to create classroom flashcards for their students.

"Otus is an easy-to-use, yet powerful classroom tool that brings the best iPad and Chromebook education features together into one secure environment, and uses a single Google login." I must say after reading this tag line I was quite intrigued to give Otus a look and it IS a complete mobile learning environment for schools. Otus comes in two free iPad apps one for the teacher and one for the student. Keep in mind when downloading it will state that it is a 17+ app and the reason for that is the built in browser. However, a educator can monitor browser activity inside of Otus as well as a school should have a filter in place via their district policy (Although, it is widely recommend to view your students/child's browsing habits to make sure that they are not viewing anything inappropriate). Also, a user (teacher/student) will need a Google account to login.As w/ most Learning Management Systems (LMS) Otus allows educators to create classes, manage attendance/assignments/grades, poll students, and more. They can create digital bookshelves to host all kinds of digital media (i.e. books, videos, sites, etc) and assess students in real-time. The split screen feature allows users to take notes using any feature of Otus as well as taking notes during browsing.I highly recommend checking out Otus by clicking here!!!*Otus is an advertiser of Technology Tidbits.

Shapes is a new iOS app that is fantastic for learning and manipulating geometric shapes. It lets a student control different shapes such as: prisms, pyramids, platonic solids, etc. while using familiar and easy to use hand gestures to change colors, zoom in/out, etc.

Booktrack Classroom is a innovative free site for adding a soundtrack or sound effects to a story/book. This is a great way to generate and boost student creativity in the classroom as well as help w/ reading comprehension. Classrooms are using this for project based learning and for gaining student interest in the process of Reading and Writing. Also, there is a free iOS/Android app for reading published Booktrack "books".

I highly recommend checking out Booktrack Classroom by clicking here!!!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Been the innovative site for visually bookmarking a site and collaborating has just launched a educational portal that makes it perfect for educators to use w/ their class. This free web tool is not only ideal for social bookmarking in schools but real-time collaborative web browsing as well. Been's new web portal now allows for educators to create student accounts, and communicate w/ them in real-time while bookmarking/browsing the web.

This is ideal for Guided Learning, Flipping a Classroom, Project Based Learning, and can be used by any subject or curriculum. Educators can use it to create internet scavenger hunts, to research/introduce a topic, or any other number of possibilities.

The educator account is perfect for moderating student's Beens (bookmarks/collections), comments, resetting passwords, etc. Being "housed" inside of an educational portal allows for educators to see public Beens but only allows for students to see those of their teacher. Teachers can also collaborate w/ their peers to allow for collective Beens that can be use for group projects.

Finally, the ability to collaboratively surf the web when being on the same page allows for students/educators to share comments and surf together to guide instruction. Also, educators can assess students who have questions when surfing the web or researching a topic.

I highly recommend checking out Been for Education by clicking here!!!

ZooKazam is a wonderful free iOS app for Augmented Reality that can be used in the Science classroom. This is a fun super easy to use app that has users printing out a "target" and then interacting w/ animals, dinosaurs, and safari animals in augmented reality. What's cool is the ability to not only take a photo or video of the animal in augmented reality, but interact w/ it by changing the elements (i.e. make it rain or snow) and more.

Storybook Maker is a fun site for digital storytelling using the characters from Horton Hears a Who. This site is easy to use and allows a user to create a 3 scene story by adding characters, backgrounds, music, and text. Once a story is finished it can then be printed out or turned into a PDF if using a Mac.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

I've been in touch w/ the people over at Shadow Puppet and excited to announce their new spinoff free iOS app for education, Shadow Puppet Edu. This is an excellent easy to use app for Project Based Learning and Digital Storytelling. Like the former app it has a drag and drop interface but w/ this new educational instance it allows for easier/safer searching and integration of pictures as well as no student email account to use.

Below is a list of their other features...

Make videos just like before combining photos, video clips, voice, text and drawing. Use up to 100 images, and make videos up to 30 minutes long. All limits/purchases on the consumer version have been removed and the app will be free for edu use.

Search the Library of Congress, NASA, Creative Commons, or generic web/gif search for awesome content to include in videos. A citation page is automatically added to the end of the video. We're super excited about the potential here in social science and science classes—our search tools make it possible to access and use amazing content from Library of Congress and NASA in a way we haven't seen any other apps do.

Common Core-aligned activity ideas to make it easy to get started using Shadow Puppet Edu in English, social studies, science, math, art and foreign language classes.

Controls to disable web image search. Parental gates for sharing and the ability to disable/enable those as well.

Matchmatics is a super fun iOS game that helps students practice their basic Math skills. It's a simple yet challenging game that has students moving a match stick to solve the corresponding equation. Ideally it is designed for El Ed aged students but older kids should have fun too.

I highly recommend checking out Matchmatics by clicking here!!!
For a more detailed review check out Edshelf.

AR Flashcards Shapes and Colors is the brand-new educational augmented reality iOS app from Mitchlehan Media (i.eAR Flashcards Space). Like AR Space, all a child has to do is point the iOS device at the printed flashcard to display a 3D rendered animal holding up a shape. A user can then take a snapshot or even hear the shape by pressing on the sound button. This is a great way to introduce shapes & colors to toddlers and preschoolers as well as an innovative way to integrate technology & augmented reality into the classroom.

I highly recommend checking out AR Flashcards Shapes and Colors by clicking here.

Chalkup is a new social learning platform that combines the best of a LMS (Learning Management System) w/ a social network to create a safe environment for students and teachers to interact. Chalkup allows educators to grade, collaborate/message, assess, create assignments, rubrics, and much much more. It works seamlessly on any mobile device and reminds me of a cross between GoClass and Otus.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The other day I needed to create an animated gif for a client and used Gifckr for this person. This is an easy to use site that lets a user upload up to 10 images to create the gif. Then a user selects the size and speed for the transitions. Once finished the animated gif can then be downloaded.

Puzzlin' Pieces: USA is a new educational iOS app designed for kids 6-8 learning about the Geography of the United States. The drag-n-drop puzzle game is designed in 3 levels helping the student learn about the states and their location by using the weather as a "hot/cold" indicator. As the student progresses they receive fewer clues as their geographical knowledge is put to the test. There is also a timer to measure progress and stars awarded for correct answers.

I highly recommend checking out Puzzlin' Pieces: USA by clickinghere!!!For more info on Puzzlin' check out Edshelf.

ClassWallet is an interesting new concept/site that is a great way to organize school & classroom funds electronically. Basically, ClassWallet is an eWallet that replaces the need for cash and checks and helps educators keep an accurate account of school funds. This is a great way for parents to pay for field trips, educators to raise funds, and much much more.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Kid Screen Time is an excellent iOS app that is a scheduler that alerts parents/guardians when a child's time is up on their iOS device. It kind of reminds me of the features I like of the Nabi which lets parents control and view their child's mobile device usage and behavior. What makes this such a nice and neat little app is that it works for multiple children, alerts parents via texts, and has a fun engaging reward system for less time usage (a adult sets how long a person can be on a device). Another nice feature are the control features that lets adults set weekend and weekly usage, as well as being able to have unlimited usage in the car.

WordWriter is a fantastic new learning tool brought to you by the award winning Web 2.0 Collaborative Writing site,BoomWriter. WordWriter is a amazingly simple tool to use that uses BoomWriter's innovative collaborative process to help students learn, develop, and enhance their writing/reading and vocabulary skills.

The way this works is a teacher signs in (using the free BoomWriter portal for creating/managing student accounts) and selects the WordWriter tab. The educator then creates a WW project and selects which students to assign the project to. After that, a word bank is developed (batch upload feature still to come) by typing in a word that a teacher wants to reinforce and develop for those students. From there, teachers can type instructions to help guide students on their learning. Students then login and using the very friendly user-interface create short stories or sentences that best use those words.

That's it!!

The innovative BoomWriter technology highlights the words used so a student doesn't have to keep track of the ones they use. Also, teachers through the educational portal can assess students and see which projects are waiting to be approved or revised w/ the ability to leave comments.

Finally, students through using assigned vocab words and completing the assignment as well as through BoomWriter's collaborative voting process can earn "Boomer Bucks" to modify their avatar/Boomer. This makes it highly motivating for students as they can develop their character and track how many times their projects have been voted on.

WordWriter is an ideal tool for helping w/ vocabulary, developing reading and writing skills, as well as easy to integrate into any subject or curriculum.

Friday, September 19, 2014

Jeopardy Rocks is a fun little free site that I just found out from Free Technology 4 Teachers for creating online Jeopardy games. This is really easy to do just create a URL and then click on a square to create a question/answer. Once a board is created it can then be shared w/ others via a URL and up to 6 teams can play.

Great Websites for Kids is a nice collection of sites for kids up to 14 yrs old. All sites have been reviewed and safe for kids to use. Also, a student can browse through sites by topic, subject, or manually type in what they are looking for.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Mix is a new (beta) site/app for creating stunning collaborative projects, presentations, or art work. Right now they are accepting invites to get on a waiting list to use this impressive tool. I can see this being used educators/students to create stunning collaborative projects/presentations w/ the ability to upload their "Mixs" to share w/ others. Also, this is a nice place to find templates and other ideas to use in the classroom.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Intel has started a contest for educators asking them to follow @IntelEDU on Twitter and then tweet what their favorite feature is of the Chromebook w/ the hashtag #IntelChromebooks. Also, they have created a new site Intel.com/ChromeEDU w/ excellent resources (i.e study guides, tips, etc.) for teachers looking to integrate Chromebooks in their classrooms. Well renown educators such as Naomi Harm, Erin Klein, Lisa Nielsen, and Vicki Davis shared their knowledge on apps, integration, and overall use of the Chromebooks as well. There is even a forum for teachers to share their teaching and strategies for using Chromebooks and encouraged to share in the discussion. Finally, there are sample tweets and infographics that can be download to share w/ others and help pass the word along for getting Chromebooks out there.

I highly recommend checking out Intel's new Chromebook site and rules for the free contest giveaway by clicking here!!!!

Splash Math is an excellent iPad app that can be downloaded by individual grade or in a complete package of 1st-5th. Splash Math is a very visual app that uses educational games and activities to teach Math skills in the different grade levels. These apps are aligned to Common Core Standards, track student progress in real-time, is self paced for each individual learning, and has lots of resources such as worksheets and more.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Prodigy is a fantastic free online Math game that is ideal for Game Based Learning. This super fun highly engaging game designed for grades 1st-6th and is aligned to Common Core Standards. Best of all is the teacher portal which allows for educators to assess students and get instant real-time reporting. Prodigy, even has a unique learning engine which allows the game to differentiate instruction and help students w/ areas they are struggling in. Teachers can modify the game to suit their needs and select which skills their students need to focus on too. Also, Prodigy is browser based and works on any device (i.e iPad or Chromebook).

Monday, September 15, 2014

ZooWhiz is a fantastic site that uses Game Based Learning for a wide variety of subjects, such as: Math, Reading, Spelling, and more. This site w/ educational portal allow has over 17,000 different educational activities for KDG on up. Best of all is the student tracking that shows how well a student is doing and which areas need improvement, as well as the high replay value where students earn in game coins to purchase digital items and add animals to their virtual
zoo.

Storyboard That the innovative site for creating storyboards and digital storytelling is having a "Back to School" sale this week for 25% off. This educational site allows educators to create and manage student accounts while assessing their work in a safe environment. Also, Storyboard that has an abundance of free resources for educators such as detailed lesson plans and webinars. Finally, Storyboard that is very easy uses, has a vast detailed image library, and even a feature that allows students to export their storyboards into narrated slideshows for digital storytelling.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Kubbu is a great Web 2.0 site w/ educational portals where teachers can create free student accounts (up to 30) and then create/assign them digital assignments such as: quizzes, games, puzzles, and more. Also, an educator can create "groups" and message or email students. Best of all, educators are able to generate detailed reports and track/assess student learning.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Twelve a Dozen is one of the most beautiful iPad apps around I've seen for Game Based Learning. This game designed for kids 10-14yrs old takes them on a mathematical platform adventure for using basic Math skills and Order of Operations to solve problems, unlock special power ups, and solve engaging puzzles. Twelve a Dozen has over 30 levels, stunning game design and graphics, and helps students w/ their Math skills in areas such as: multiplication, division, addition, and more.

iCivics is a fantastic site for learning about Civics through Game Based Learning. Best of all, iCivics has an educational portal that allows educators to create and manage student accounts. Also, teachers can create assignments such as games/webquests and track student performance w/ detailed reports. Finally, a educator can create a forum or message board to engage students in online discussions and send out class announcements.

Here is a bit more on iCivics features...

Lessons: Print-and-go lesson plans make civic learning fun, relevant, and easy. Lessons may include PowerPoints, and ALL are aligned to state standards.

Webquests: Our webquests help students connect civics concepts to the real world with readings and questions that link to specific web resources. Webquests can be used on individual computers or by the whole class using a projector or a smart board

Games: Expand the learning experience for your students by putting them in the action. Each game is accompanied by a teacher guide with tips for game play, pre– and post-game discussion questions and ideas for additional activities.

Drafting Board: Guide your students through the process of producing a clear and polished argumentative essay. This blended learning tool brings the skills of writing persuasively together with civic topics that matter to your students.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

What is Blended Learning? This is a question that I frequently think about and a term that gets tossed around in education. It's a smorgasbord of teaching strategies that uses analog and digital technologies to teach and learn.

Wikipedia says, "Blended learning is a formal education program in which a student learns at least in part through online delivery of content and instruction with some element of student control over time, place, path or pace.[1][2] While still attending a “brick-and-mortar” school structure, face-to-face classroom methods are combined with computer-mediated activities.[3] Proponents of blending learning cite the opportunity for data collection and customization of instruction and assessment as two major benefits of this approach.[4] Schools with blended learning models may also choose to reallocate resources to boost student achievement outcomes.[5]"That being said, I decided to curate a list of resources that can be used for Blended Learning instruction.*This list is in alphabetical order.

10 Sites for Blended Learning

Answer Pad - Is a free visual and student based response system that educators use to blend learning and assess students in real-time on browser based devices.

Been for Education - A educational tool that allows educators to browse and curate the web w/ students in a safe environment in real-time.

Buncee - A fantastic and easy to use tool w/ educational portal that educators are using for blended learning, digital storytelling, creating presentations and more.

Edmodo - A free and safe social learning environment where educators can collaborate w/ students and assess them to deliver best teaching strategies.

EDpuzzle - Is one of the most popular resources on the web to flip a classroom or lesson. This is done by taking a video editing (i.e. cut/crop) it, adding questions, and generate assessments to blend learning. Also, it is ideal for student centered self paced learning.

Kahoot - Is a easy to use game based blended learning system that allows educators to assess students in a visual bar graph manner, while students take control of their learning.

Khan Academy - A very popular resource for online learning where the user learns at their own pace through interactive exercises and videos.

LessonPaths - Formerly known as MentorMob, LessonPaths allows users to create learning playlists to blend their, flip their classroom, and learn at their own pace.

Otus - Otus is a new and innovative free learning tool designed for the iPad that allows educators to blend learning by creating a digital learning environment. Educators, can manage and track student performance, take attendance and notes, grade, and more.

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David Kapuler

I have been working w/ technology and education for over 14 years in a school setting. I'm looking for work in a K-12 environment as a Technology Integration/Support Specialist in WI/IL. Contact email - dkapuler@gmail.com
I'm currently looking to get my Mac OS/Repair Certification, as well as a Masters in Technology Integration.
Also, I have a solid background in web design, w/ network/server support.
On a personal note, I';m a proud father of 3 boys and 1 girl, and have been married for 10 years.